Fans cheer on King Frederik and Queen Mary as festivities continue
Delighted fans applauded Danish royals Frederik and Mary as they stepped out in their first royal engagement as King and Queen. Follow for updates.
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Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary returned to Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Palace for an official parliamentary reception on Monday as the Nordic nation revels in its historic royal handover.
Reflecting Denmark’s constitutional monarchy, Christiansborg is both a palace of royalty and democracy, with a southern side used by the Danish Parliament (the Folketinget) and a northern side reserved for the royal family, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s Office.
The newly crowned King arrived at the snow-covered Danish Parliament to rapturous applause from fans chanting “hoorah” as festivities around his enthronement continued.
King Frederik X was dressed in a navy suit accompanied by HM Queen Mary in a matching royal blue suit and hat.
Also present were his eldest son HRH Prince Christian and Queen Margrethe, who was swathed in grey fur.
Speaker of the Danish Parliament Søren Gade officially welcomed the new King and Queen with a lengthy speech.
Søren Gade praised Queen Margrethe for her handling of the pandemic and mentioned the nation didn’t believe it had heard right when she announced she would abdicate.
“The message seemed strange, we looked at those we were with, had we heard correctly?” he asked.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen praised Queen Margrethe who “will be remembered as one of the greatest regents in Denmark’s history”.
She spoke of King Frederik’s deep sense of duty and “the ability to carry duty with joy”.
“Governing is a lonely profession but fortunately the king has had an excellent teacher, who has laid out her plan so wisely that the teacher is still here,” she said.
The Prime Minister also welcomed Queen Mary, who “will be a great support for the king.”
The meeting in the parliament hall ended after a nine-fold toast for the king and a performance from DR’s Girls’ Choir singing “King Christian” to the royals in the Parliament Hall.
Afterwards at the Landstingsalen, the king and the royal family, and members of the Folketing enjoyed a glass of cider.
When the speeches ended Prince Joachim left for a flight back to Washington DC.
While the subject of money is unlikely to be mentioned – the salaries the parliament provides to the royal family is set for re-evaluation very soon.
The abdication of Queen Margrethe leaves Denmark with more royals on the payroll: two people wearing crowns rather than one, an emeritus Queen for the first time, and a new direct heir to the throne in Prince Christian.
When he turned 18 in October, the palace announced he would not receive financial support until a change in throne, which has now happened.
Prince Christian’s siblings also received a promotion of sorts upon their parents’ ascension to the throne, with the Princesses Isabella and Josephine and Prince Vincent, now all automatically becoming Knights of the Order of the Elephant. The young royals will be presented with the official insignia for the order on their 18th birthdays, which comes in April 2025 for Princess Isabella.
The Royal Family’s most recent financial statement revealed they received DKK 88.9 million ($A19.5 million) in 2022, in addition to other allowances for official travel, and rebates for the country’s Value Added Tax, which they are exempt from paying.
While Denmark’s monarchy is exceptionally popular, some have suggested part of that popularity is its comparatively light burden on the public purse.
Even so, Reuters quoted a pre-abdication survey by the Danish newspaper Berlingske which showed 30 per cent of Danes thought Queen Margrethe was overpaid.
But the mini-tourism boom prompted by the royal handover may be enough to win over some critics: the Danish Chamber of Commerce estimated an additional DKK 25 million ($5.5 million) flowed in to Copenhagen on the weekend alone, Reuters stated.
Official celebrations are set to continue, with a mass to bless the new monarchs planned for Sunday, while Australians in Denmark are still toasting Queen Mary’s ascension, or at least nursing hangovers after doing so.
Australia’s Ambassador to Denmark Kerin Ayyalaraju raised a toast at an official party at the Admiral Hotel in Copenhagen, saying Queen Margrethe’s decision to abdicate meant she can conclude her reign “on her own terms … and watch with pride as her son takes over.”
“We share a sense of pride in the new Queen of Denmark, not only because of where she was born, but also the way she has embraced her role and represented Denmark and her love for a new country … she’s raised children and represented Denmark on the world stage,”’ Ms Ayyalaraju said.
“She knows what we mean when we say we are a Cherry Ripe on the beach … she gets us.”
Queen Mary’s rock star status was emphasised by the Brussels-based royal correspondent Wim Dehandschutter in a post on X/Twitter.
Posting about the royal couple’s appearance on the balcony at Christiansborg, Mr Dehandschutter stated: “King Frederik X was loudly cheered upon his appearance on the balcony. But the crowd really went crazy when their new Queen, Mary, joined him. She was already (one of the) most beloved member(s) of the Danish royal family. She’s the real star now.”
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